Uncharted
by Vauseman21
Summary: Gail Peck has never really been able to open herself up to anyone, that is until a quirky forensic pathologist comes into her life and makes her think about not only her present, but her future as well, forcing her to face demons she hadn't realized she would even have to face. Follows the scripted episodes to begin with so slight spoilers, eventual future chapters may be M rated.
1. Chapter 1

**A.N:** Hey guys, so having watched this show from the very beginning when it first aired I'm so happy that Gail's finally found someone who I feel is actually a good match for her, I just cannot get enough of this pair.

This is my first ever fanfic so I am trying to take my time and work hard on it, it does start at the very beginning of their relationship and will eventually continue into my own little plot line for them, however I wanted to go right back to the start and try and develop their relationship a bit more by adding in a few extra scenes i'd conjured up in my head. For this i apologize if some of the characters appear a little au, also I am from the UK so i do tend to write in British English, if there's any major issues then please let me know.

With that being said, I do not own the show nor do i own its characters, i do however own some of the extra scenes that will appear throughout and the eventual plot line of the unfolding story.

* * *

There's always something about cases like this one, whereby as an officer she stumbles across a body in some ragged form that makes her stomach churn. Thanking whoever up above that she was not paired with Oliver and his continuous snacking habits today or else the contents of her stomach might just have been joining that body on the cold harsh ground, before stalking off to her post of ensuring that nobody unauthorised gains any access to the crime scene.

She can't help but watch Marlo take the two kids statements from across the wood though. Shakes her head at the sudden realisation that these kids will forever hold the memory of that distorted skeleton sprawled in the leaves. Realising that every time they close their eyes, all they will be able to see will be how the faceless skull bore into them, almost as if it was watching their every move. She's too busy trying to analyse how messed up these kids will become that she almost doesn't notice the figure breezing under the neon yellow police tape to join her. Almost.

It's not until the intruder is a good few paces in front of her that Gail suddenly remembers why she's here and finds her voice.

"Hey, lunchbox, you're not allowed down there," she sighs, shifting uncomfortably from one foot to the other. So it's not her best jab, but in her defence the first thing she noticed was the bright red case the woman was carrying.

"Thanks, appreciate it," The woman shouts back, not even stopping to look at the officer.

Irritated, Gail takes a step forward, "No, I said you're not allowed down there."

It's at this that the intruder finally turns around.

"Me?" The woman finally asks, one eyebrow quirked upwards in a comical fashion. Seeing that the officer is staring her down, she takes one last look around the wood before facing Gail again with a smirk, "No, I am, I need to get some samples."

"Who are you?"

"The forensic pathologist," she states, her tone daring.

"Oh," Gail draws out, shifting uncomfortably having realised she's made yet another rookie mistake. Trying to recover from her slip up she picks up her shoulders before stalking closer to the woman, "well, you should have told me that before."

"Sorry, I thought it was obvious," the woman states, uncomfortably waving the case in Gail's direction.

"Only to nerds," internally cheering that she's back on track she takes a moment to stare this woman down before asking, "can you come back later?"

"You're not up on your medical jurisprudence, we need to determine the cause of death, I test the water for diatoms and if we find diatoms in the bone marrow, oh did you notice if the femurs still intact," the woman stops to analyse the officers face briefly, gathering the answer as no from the blank stare and the way the officer simply shakes her head, she takes a short breath before continuing, "I'll check later, If the diatoms match we know the person drowned, if there aren't any diatoms then we know the cause of death was something else, I'll need to consult with the forensic anthropologist , I'll grab some leaves, bugs, dirt so that they don't have to come back, It helps in identifying the post mortem interval-"

"Why are you saying all these words," the officer interrupts her, her gaze sharp.

The woman can't help but smile in retaliation to the question and gives the officer one last look before heading off to do her job.

It's a few short moments later that she hears the commanding voice of officer Swarek fill the woods instructing someone to stay at the scene and for someone else to go to the morgue. Gail hears Marlo state that she'll stay on the scene, and being ever curious, takes one glimpse of the quirky forensic woman before raising her hand, "Alright, I'll go the morgue." Noticing that the woman was staring back at her questioningly she simply states, "It's never too late to learn about medical jurisprudence."

* * *

Gail gives the woman a ride back to the lab where she works. They arrive to find that the skeleton has already been dropped off in the lab, wrapped in a multitude of different bags and covers. Gail allows herself to help the woman set up, avoiding the skeleton at all costs and sticking to the utensils stored away in the back cupboard, and swears that it's solely to do with the fact that she has nothing better to be doing whilst she's here and nothing to do with the fact that this mysterious pathologist interests her slightly.

After a while Gail realises that she's really being more of a hindrance than a help and takes a step back in order to watch the woman at work. Honestly Gail's not too sure what's more enticing, the piecing together of the skeleton or the fact that when this woman concentrates her eyebrows knit together in an adorable fashion and her bottom lip gets viciously attacked between a set of almost perfect teeth.

"So what are you doing over there anyway?" She barely recognises the sound of her own voice until the sentence escapes her mouth.

"Putting together a puzzle," the woman smiles slightly.

"What can you tell about the person?" Gail asks, wanting to see the woman in work, finding comfort in how easily the brunette gets lost in the science.

"He's a full grown male, probably early twenties, not archaeological, his bones are still greasy," the woman pauses before turning to Gail with a short, half smile, "and a bit smelly."

Gail, realising that she's been staring at this woman for far too long and has probably just been caught out, squares herself up. Gail Peck does not stare after woman, hell, she doesn't even stare after men anymore, especially not now that she can't even trust herself to maintain a steady relationship with someone she truly cared. So, she does what comes naturally to her and turns her defence on, "Oh, I just thought that was you."

* * *

It's multiple hours later and the woman's still rummaging around the skeleton on the table with her various scientific utensils. Gail's long since gotten bored of the multiple lectures on bones and moved to position herself on what she assumes is the woman's desk. She's spent the past twenty minutes trying to read some in depth scientific novel about 'an analysis of an autopsy'. In her mind its just a bunch of scientific jargon on a page.

"Do you really read this stuff?" Gail questions, flicking through the pages in the hopes that something less, wordy, will stand out amongst the paragraphs.

The woman tilts her head slightly to look at Gail, giving her a slight smirk before turning back to the body on the table, "I wrote that stuff."

Gail, for the second time that day, loses her words. Turning the book in her hand she rakes her eyes over the cover of the book, pausing only to read the name in print on the bottom.

HOLLY STEWART.

Gail takes one last look at the woman before opening the book up again, silently agreeing that the woman does indeed look like a Holly.

* * *

"Something tells me you like it here," Holly states, watching Gail as she begins to pack up her things from her desk.

"I could live here," as much as Gail hates to admit it, it's true. She really, rather enjoyed spending her day at the morgue. The silence of the place wasn't too overwhelming and allowed her to do some critical thinking about her life without it becoming too much for her to handle. Plus, she had Holly for company, whom, as much as she'd deny it to anyone, she's actually starting to become fond of. The fact that this woman just brushes off her sarcasm without missing a beat is definitely something which intrigues Gail.

Maybe it's because of this that she finds herself at a loss of control over her own words but before she's even aware that she's talking the words, "Holly, I'm like a cat," have come out of her mouth. However now that she's started she can't seem to find a good enough reason to stop, so she turns the chair to face Holly and clasps her fingers together, "I'm very good at climbing trees and then the minute I get up there, I have no idea what to do, I mean I want to get down but I don't know how to do that so, I create an emergency situation to get out of it."

Holly takes a minute to register exactly what Gail's just said to her, slowly trying to figure out the analogy before giving up and looking at the blonde officer with a raised eyebrow, "Of the tree?"

Gail maintains a cool manner and forces herself to look straight at Holly before replying, "Of relationships."

"Ah," Holly sighs, finally getting the gist of what the blondes suddenly rambling on about. Giving it a minute she realises that the blonde isn't going to continue on with the story and so she grabs the officer's jacket off the coat peg behind her desk and states, "I used to be like that, but it turns out I didn't like men."

Gail nods her head for a moment, silently agreeing whilst she takes her jacket from the brunettes hand before verbalising, "oh, I don't think I like men either."

Holly has to force herself to stifle a snort as she realises how clueless the blonde actually is. Shaking her head she helps Gail stand from where she's been seated, "I mean I'm a lesbian."

"I mean I hate people," the blonde simply shrugs her jacket on properly and walks ahead of the pathologist towards the exit of the lab, never missing a beat. Holly, left completely speechless and bewildered by the woman, smiles after her retreating form before slowly gathering her thoughts and rushing out after her.

* * *

Holly's heard of the penny before, working in such a similar field to the 15th devision cops makes it hard not to have heard of it, but this has to be the first time that the pathologist has ever actually been to it. Gail had declared that she was owed a drink considering she had helped her baby sit the skeleton and so they arranged to meet there since Gail still had to go back to the station and change out of her uniform.

It was almost half an hour later when the blonde came strutting in as if she owned the place. Spotting Holly sitting by herself at the bar Gail instantly made her way over, sitting down in the empty stool beside the brunette. Almost the second she was seated Gail flagged over the bartender.

"Two shots of tequila," she shouts, gesturing towards the bottle on the top shelf. As the bartender walks away to care for the drinks, the brunette turns in her stool to face her.

"Tequila, really?" the brunette asks.

"What's wrong with tequila?"

"I'm more of a beer kind of girl," Holly shrugs.

When the bartender comes back with their drinks, Gail tells him that they'll pay for it now instead of opening up a tab and looks pointedly at Holly. Realising this as her cue, Holly fumbles in her pocket before pulling out the right amount for the two shots and handing it over.

"Why do you look so surprised, I told you that you owed me a drink."

"I didn't think you were being serious." Holly mumbles, tracing a hand around the top of the shot glass.

"I'm always serious Holly," Gail smirks, "plus, I didn't bring any money with me so you were kind of stuck paying regardless."

Holly allows herself to chuckle slightly at the blonde before they both turn to down their shots. Within seconds both glasses are empty and Holly realised that she still doesn't know this woman's name, well, besides the fact that she's known as Officer Peck.

"You know my name?"

"Yes Holly, I do." Gail states, putting emphasis on her name while looking at her as if she's grown a second head.

"I don't know yours?" Holly turns to face her, searching her face for clues.

"Gail, Gail Peck." She shrugs, pushing the now empty shot glass away from her.

"Gail," Holly repeats, rolling the name off of her tongue before she nods, the name fits the blonde well. It's then that she realises something, "How do you know my name anyway?"

"The book," Gail states, as if it's the most obvious answer.

"The book?" Holly arches an eyebrow.

"Yes, the book," Gail sighs, slightly impatient at the brunettes lack of understanding, "The one about autopsy's. You told me you wrote it, it was on the front."

"Oh, the book," Holly nods, it all becoming clearer.

The two settle into a comfortable silence for a while before Holly becomes aware that Gail is suddenly moving from the stool next to her.

"Where are you going?" Holly asks, looking at the blonde pointedly.

"Home," Gail shrugs, as if it's the most obvious answer in the world.

"But you owe me a drink now," Holly states, gesturing towards the empty glasses on the bar, "you didn't seriously invite me here, make me wait on my own for thirty minutes in a bar full of cops only to have one shot and then leave."

"Didn't you hear me Holly, I don't have any money, plus, I have a shift tomorrow morning which would be a killer with a hangover," Gail smirks at her before she turns to leave, "don't stay out too late."

Before Gail can even take a step away from the bar, Holly has latched onto her arm, "Give me your phone."

"What, why?" Gail whines, looking at Holly questioningly.

"That wasn't a question, hand it over."

Muttering under her breath Gail reluctantly handed it over and watched the brunette carefully. Within no more than a minute she was smiling and handing the phone back to Gail.

"What did you do to it?" the blonde asked, staring at it as if it was about to explode.

"You owe me a drink," the brunette shrugged, gesturing again towards the empty glasses on the bar. "Now you have my number you have no excuse not to buy me one."

Gail smirked at the woman, "And what makes you think I'll give you call."

"I sent myself a message on your phone just in case," Holly shrugs. "This way I have you're number too and I've been told I'm quite the avid stalker, so you really will be forced to buy me one."

With that being said, Holly simply gave one last smile at Gail, chuckling at her shocked expression before watching the blonde shake her head with a grin and walk out of the penny.

* * *

**A.N;** Well, that was the first chapter!

Again this is my first ever fanfic and I'm still trying to get into the hang of it, so please just bare with me! Also, i know that some of the spelling will be different as I do tend to write in British English, if there's any major outlining issues with that then please, let me know and I'll alter it!

All constructive criticism is welcomed and reviews are always lovely and make for a happy writer! hahaa. (:


	2. Chapter 2

**A.N; **First off, thank you guys so much for all the feedback. The response this has gotten so far has been a little unexpected, I'm so glad to hear you're all enjoying it so far.

I meant to get this update finished and posted yesterday but for some reason this chapter took me ages to write, I started off with a general idea of how and where I wanted it to go but I just couldn't get it to flow in that direction and so had to alter some parts. So I'm still not too sure if I'm particularly happy with how this turned out, either way here's a new chapter for you.

Again I don't own rookie blue nor do I own it's characters.

* * *

"What?" The word leaves her mouth, bitter and characteristically harsh.

"You're too young to be this cynical," Constance, the kinder older woman, states. Her gaze never leaving Gail's eyes, "Find a friend, have a little fun once in a while."

"Oh, you mean like Walter?" Her tones sarcastic, she can hear it drip from her voice and she subconsciously goes into her usual defence mode, ever stoic and superior. "You two hate each other."

"I don't hate him, he's my plus one" the woman laughs slightly, there's a sudden glint in her eyes and a smile gracing her lips briefly before it disappears. "Trust me sweetheart, life's way too long to go through it alone."

With that, the old woman retreats after her friends whom have all started making their way out of the building, leaving Gail standing in the doorway a mess of feelings and emotions.

On one hand she's irritated, irritated because she's had one hell of a day. First, having woken up to four different texts from the quirky brunette who hasn't stopped messaging her since she left her drinking alone that night at the bar. Then, having been paired with Chloe and forced to listen to her idle chatter and gossip which quite frankly Gail simply pretends she doesn't have the time of day for. Then receiving the call which ultimately lead to her having to spend her day trapped inside the station dealing with mindless elderly's, whom might she add, were bad enough when you caught them on a good day, never mind a day when they were shaken up. All of which leads her to her current irritation, the fact that all she really wants to do is go home and curl up in front of the tv with a glass of wine and think about how shit her life really has become but she can't do that. Not now she's had this big massive spiel about living life alone and knowing that her place tonight is at 'the wedding of the year.'

On the other hand she's got a chest full of guilt and she doesn't really know what to do with it. Firstly there was Nick, whom she knows didn't intend to fall for Andy and so she can't help but feel mildly guilty about the fact that she allowed herself cheat on the bastard. Then there's the slight guilt from this morning, when she called Chloe fake and pretended not to see the way her face dropped at the insults the blonde threw her way. Then there's Constance and Walter, both of whom she has spent the entire day being her cynical self towards when really, they were having a much shittier time of it than her. Finally there's the slight guilt building up from the fact that she's received over thirty texts from Holly in the past week alone and she has still, yet to send one message.

Taking one last glimpse at Constance and Walter interacting with each other down the hall, she's suddenly hit with the answer to at least some of her problems.

* * *

The locker rooms empty when she gets there and she can't help but be glad of that. Yanking open her locker and rummaging for her phone she lets out a breath. When her hands finally come into contact with the device she notices how much they're actually shaking and she shrugs the feeling off. The worst that's going to happen is that she's going to be attending this wedding alone. Simple. Scrolling through her contact list she finds the name she's looking for and with one last shaky breath, presses the call button.

The first time she dials the number no one picks up. She waits five minutes then dials the number again; it rings 4 times before someone on the other end finally answers.

"Dr Stewart," The woman instantly states, her voice calm and collected.

"I know who it is, I'm the one that called you," Gail can't help the sarcastic tone from making an appearance, "Do you always answer you're phone like that?"

"Oh, it's you," is the only response she gets before suddenly being met with what sounds vaguely familiar to a dialling tone.

Realising that Holly's efficiently hung up on her, Gail looks at her phone absently. Honestly she doesn't know whether she's more frustrated or amused. The frustration within her forces her to call Holly again for a third time, even if only to let her know that she's now kind of pissed off.

This time when she calls, it barely rings once before the woman answers.

"Now you know how it feels to be ignored," Holly chuckles down the phone.

Gail sharply inhales, all thoughts of frustration leaving her body at Holly's comment, "Thirty messages was a little extreme though don't you think, now I realise you were being serious when you said you were an avid stalker."

"I'm always serious, Gail," Holly retorts, never missing a beat, repeating Gail's words from the previous evening and Gail's sure that she can feel Holly's smirk erupting on her face through the phone.

"Between the stalking tendencies and the fact that you spend more time with dead people, I'm beginning to see the sociopath in you, should I be concerned."

"As much as I'd love to talk about my sociopathic ways I'm pretty sure that's not why you called me, is something wrong?" Holly asks, her voice laced with something soft and genuine.

Gail shakes her head, momentarily lost before realising the woman can't see her actions, "No, nothing's wrong, we're going to a wedding tonight."

"You just called me a sociopath and now you're inviting me to a wedding?" Holly almost laughs down the phone.

"Look I need a last minute plus one," Gail starts, her tone sharp, defence kicking in. "If you don't want to come just, forget it, it doesn't matter-"

"No," Holly interrupts, "You owe me that drink now remember, being your plus one sounds like the only way I'm going to get you to buy me one since you seem to be rather good at ignoring my messages."

"Yes, well, some of us have lives and don't spend all day interacting with the dead, Holly," Gail states, but her tones lighter, more relieved. "I'll text you the address and time and I'll just meet you at the bar?"

"Sure, where else would you be able to buy me a drink," Holly answers right before Gail manages to end the call, a small grin gracing her face.

* * *

The first thing Gail notices is the abstract way that people are milling about in the open area of the wedding reception. How happy they all look, it almost makes her puke on her heels right there in front of everyone. Though, if she's being honest, some of that has to do with the instant jealousy that flares within her. The last time she was at a wedding it was her own and that didn't exactly end how she planned it too. However, there's something about the charismatic beauty of the building that just fits Frank and Noelle's relationship and even she can't deny a small smile from gracing her face at how perfect the setting truly is.

Gazing over towards the bar briefly she notices that there's a distinct lack of a quirky brunette and the smile quickly disappears from her face. She purposefully told the woman to be here ten minutes before she would so that Holly would be here before her, she hates being the first to arrive and having to wait around aimlessly. She searches the crowd of people one last time for any sign that the brunettes here before giving up with a sigh. Realising she's going to have to wait for the woman to arrive she takes a tentative step towards the bar, lost in her own thoughts.

Its then, that two women to the right of her laugh loudly, shaking her from her thoughts. Turning her head to glare at them she has to double take. There, beyond the two women, sitting casually in the coat room reading a book was Holly. Suddenly feeling like she's on a mission she strides towards the coat room, gaining the attention of Holly in the process. Giving her a bewildered look she gestures with her arms at the room, one eyebrow quirking up.

"May I take your coat?" Holly asks, putting the book back down onto the table.

"But I thought we were meeting at the bar?" Gail replies her voice and face laced with confusion.

"Coat check girl hasn't shown up, figured I'd wait for you here," Holly states, shrugging as if it's an obvious answer, "hang a few coats."

Gail simply shakes her head slightly as she shrugs off her coat, "How very weird of you."

"I've made twenty bucks," Holly smirks as she stands and Gail gets the impression that she's somewhat impressed of her own coat checking abilities. Reaching for Gail's jacket she pauses momentarily before a smirk graces her face. "Make that twenty two, in the jar please."

Gail opens her clutch to reach for the right change, watching Holly slightly from the corner of her eye as she turns away from her to hang her coat next to her own on the rack. She's so caught up in her actions that she almost misses the way the brunette strides towards her, hand outstretched.

Receiving nothing but a blank stare from Gail, Holly draws her hand back towards herself and voices her question, "Tip?"

"I only have a five," Gail starts and almost immediately Holly's outstretched hand is back in front of her. She knows she could still say no, turn and walk out of that coat room with the five still in her purse but there's something about the way that Holly constantly challenges her that makes her hand it over, not before muttering an unimpressed "wow" in Holly's direction.

There's a calm silence that overcomes them both for a second before the sound of someone laughing not far off interrupts them, forcing Gail to remember where she is and why she's here which consecutively reminds her of just how much she hates weddings in general.

"You know what, I hate these things. Everyone's milling around, I mean they're laughing and they're caring," Gail hisses.

"I know, it's awful," Holly agrees, "I usually dodge this stuff but you needed a last minute plus one and I am all about growing these days." There's something about the way Holly responds that throws Gail off guard. She certainly wasn't expecting the woman's tone to be so flat or her eyes to lose their usual glint, but before she can question it Holly's usual quirky demeanour is back and she's taking off her glasses, saying something about the Macarena and is dancing out of the room.

Gail can't help the sigh and eye roll that escapes her as she follows Holly out of the room, her only thought being, _lets just get this over with_.

* * *

Holly's the one who suggests they sit in the middle of the crowd, close enough to watch the entire ceremony but far enough back that they can still tune out if they wish too. Noelle still hasn't arrived yet and everyone in the room is beginning to get a little impatient however Gail barely even notices. Too caught up in Holly's witty remarks and absurd descriptions of everyone in the room, people she knows that Holly has never even met before tonight.

Holly makes a particularly funny remark about the woman seated behind Gail and she completely loses her cool, both of them erupting into giggles in the middle of the crowd. She barely manages to splutter out a '_sorry_' when the music starts, gesturing that the brides about to enter.

She composes herself and turn in her seat to watch Noelle walking down the aisle. When she turns back she's suddenly hyper aware of how close Holly is to her and starts to question how long they've been like this for and just how many others have noticed. However, holly has one arm resting on the back of Gail's chair, her entire body turned slightly leaning in towards her and as Noelle reaches Frank, holly turns to give her a smile and Gail forgets about the lack of space between them, completely caught up in the moment.

* * *

The night hasn't dragged on as much as Gail expected it too and she thinks she owes a lot of that to Holly. Even if the woman did force her up to dance at one point only to go ahead and laugh at her dance moves, not that her own were all that much better. Between the witty banter and the numerous drinks they had consumed, Gail could almost actually say she had, had a good night.

That was until they started giving speeches and everyone got all mushy and she was reminded of how much she hated this part of weddings. However, as if Holly could read her mind, she nudged her shoulder and began walking steadily towards the coat room, only stopping once to grab a bottle of champagne from one of the tables. Gail grabbed her glass and followed Holly all the way to the back of the coat room, taking her lead and sitting down beside her. The pair stayed like that, sitting on the floor talking about nothing in particular for the remainder of the night. Gail was so caught up in their mindless conversation that she didn't even notice when someone from Noelle's family came in to grab something out of her coat pockets until the woman knocked another jacket off the rack that landed absently onto Gail's lap causing her to let out a shriek and for Holly to laugh, in turn scaring the poor woman back out of the coat room.

Once Gail was sure that the coat room was empty again and the pairs laughter had successfully died down, she threw the faux fur coat that landed on her lap over her shoulders and turned to Holly with a serious face, "what do you think; I always used to want one of these?"

"I've never liked them," Holly stated, shaking her head to emphasise her point. "Always reminded me of a girl I used to date back in college."

Gail nodded her head and the pair both leaned back against the wall, a comfortable silence gracing them. Gail had almost forgotten that Holly was a lesbian until the woman had brought that up. Not that it was an issue, if Gail had learnt one thing from life it was that everybody should be treated equally regardless of what it is that makes them stand out from a crowd.

"So is it still fun getting dressed?" Leaves Gail's mouth before she even has a chance to think about what she's saying.

Holly snorts lightly before turning to face her, looking at her as if she's suddenly grown a second head, "what do you mean?"

"Well I mean, that's the most fun part of a date, getting dressed, I mean how does it work if two girls are getting dressed together?" Gail retorts, trying not to get lost in her own words again.

"I don't know, how does it work with a guy?" Holly replied, an amused grin taking over her features.

"Well, I mean if you live together he gets dressed first and then you get dressed," Gail states, realising that she's rambling. When she catches sight of holly grinning at her she simply shakes her own head and raises her glass to her mouth, taking a gulp before stating, "it's very stupid, stupid question."

Allowing the silence to settle over them again for a brief moment only encourages Gail's curiosity to peak even further though.

"What about, if you want to borrow a dress, or shoes or clothes?" Gail asks. The fact that Holly's finding this all so amusing causes her to continue on with her drunken interrogation. "I mean, is that cool, do you share each other's things?"

"I wouldn't share your things," Holly responds, turning to face Gail with a smirk.

"What is wrong with my things?" Gail demands, her icy tone returning and the glass in her hands flailing slightly as she pronounces each word.

"Nothing," Holly laughs out, "They're just not my style."

"Oh, not enough _fleece_ for you Holly, not enough _backpacks_?" Gail churns out, her sarcastic defence in full force.

There's a brief moment of silence whereby Gail thinks she's won. That's before she catches the way the brunette beside her is looking at her and before she can say another word they're both leaning in, eyes closed, faces inching forward until they're lips meet one another.

It's not like any of the kisses that Gail's experienced before, this one's soft and she can vaguely taste the champagne on Holly's lips mingling with her own. However before she even has the slightest chance to respond Holly's pulling back and she opens her eyes to find the brunette looking at her with quite possibly one the most smug looks that Gail's ever seen.

"You are insane, you know that right?" Holly smirks, pulling back properly and standing up from the pair's previous position on the floor. She shakes the near empty bottle she's been holding the entire time towards Gail and she turns to leave, "I'm going to take this with me if you don't mind, plenty more out there."

"Sorry," Gail stutters, trying to get her brain to catch up with everything that's just happened, suddenly registering that Holly's standing up and turning to leave. "Where are you going?"

"Dancing, I kind of need to get it out of my system." Holly states as if it's the most obvious thing in the world, that smug look still gracing her features, "thanks that was fun, plus one forever."

With one last silent toast towards Gail with the bottle, Holly disappears out of the room, leaving Gail sat alone with a million questions and wondering just how on earth the pathologist had managed to beat her yet again at her own game.

* * *

**A.N; **well, that was another update.

I'm going home from uni this weekend and wont have my laptop so there's a chance that I might not be able to update this again until sunday night when i come back to the flat.

Again, any constructive criticism is more than welcome, as are any opinions or feedback in general. (:


	3. Chapter 3

**A.N; **I don't own the show, nor it's characters I'm afraid.

* * *

She really hasn't listened to a word which he's said to her so far. All of her interest being consumed by the steaming latte that's in front of her. This is the third blind date she's went on this week, thanks to super intendant Peck, and if she's being honest with herself, she's more than just a little fed up by the mindless chatter these so called '_dates_' seem to bring. Realising that she should probably have the decency to act like she's interested, she tried to tune back into his mind numbing conversation, nodding and retorting where would be deemed necessary. However the sheer lull of his voice was grating on her last nerves.

She's not sure when or even how but she thinks she's managed to formulate enough of a sentence amidst his chatter to actually ask him a question which has gathered a response. However she's been so out of tune, too busy sipping the delicate latte in the hopes that it will help her get through the evening alive, that all she catches is; "I'm from Nottingham."

Cursing at her misfortune, she sighs, usually she allows the ball to roll in their hands, at least if they're in control of the conversation she can usually zone in and out as she pleases. Only now he's looking at her, waiting on a response that she doesn't have. She had momentarily forgotten that by actually participating in a conversation means that you have to be invested in it, or at least be quick enough to prepare a response. So she does what she always does and acts instinctively.

"oh, did you live in the woods with a band of merry men?" She sneers towards him, not even attempting to hide the sarcasm from her tone.

He half whispers in her direction, leaning forward on the table so other people won't hear him; "Are you asking me if I'm a homosexual?"

_Homosexual_.

The minute the word left his mouth her mind wanders back to lab instruments, cats, weddings and Holly. She somehow manages to sputter out something coherent, aware that their conversation has continued however her minds frozen in one place, Holly. Holly, the woman who forced her to dance and actually have a good time at an event which she deems morally wrong to even attend. Holly, whom kissed her and then got up and left, as if nothing out of the ordinary had literally just occurred between the two of them. Holly, whom she's been efficiently ignoring since the incident at the wedding because the taste of champagne and something bitter that is ultimately just Holly is still on her lips, in her mouth, and for the love of god, Gail just can't seem to shake it off.

"Do they have any alcohol here?" She almost moans at him.

"I have a fully stocked bar in my flat, we could leave right now," he states, completely unaware that the blonde had no intention of consuming the alcohol with him.

Gail almost agrees right there on the spot though because alcohol's good. Alcohol will help get her mind back on track because Gail Peck does not think of kissing women in coat closets, especially not women such as Holly. However, the mere thought of the other woman forces her to remember where she is and why she's there and she visibly recoils in her seat.

"Austin, let me just be clear here," she starts, leaning in so that only he can hear her, "this date's not going very well for you, but I'm going to stay and enjoy this festive latte, and then I'm going to go home, alone, because there's not enough alcohol in the world to get me in bed with you."

"Can I keep your number in case you change your mind?"

"I'm gonna go now," She states, almost wanting to laugh at his desperate attempts. Picking up her jacket which she'd originally slung over the back of the chair, she stands; abandoning what's left of the latte on the table and makes her way towards the exit.

* * *

She tenderly opens one eye and tries to adjust to the lighting in the room. Today was a good day up until now.

For starters she was still on a high from her fun filled weekend and by fun filled, she obviously means near death experience. She'd finally had to face up to the quirky pathologist, whom she'd been avoiding after the incident in the coat closet at the wedding, when Chris's son had been abducted last month and she'd been sent to the labs to get evidence tested. Upon realising that things weren't so different between the two of them and that she still found herself comfortable around the brunette, she reluctantly took Traci's advice and arranged to hang out with the woman. Not that Traci's exact advice had outright suggested she spend as much time with the pathologist as physically possible, in fact, Traci still didn't even know the two women were as close as they were, but she had suggested that Gail do what makes her happy and so Gail did.

This of course resulted in them spending multiple nights out at the batting cages, not Gail's choice evidently, as well as several other places such as off street diners and old arcades. This weekend however, Holly had dragged her back to the batting cages, eager to see if the blonde had improved any from the first time she dragged her there over a month ago. It turns out that Gail still doesn't do sports and that Holly's laugh really is one of the most contagious things Gail has ever experienced in her life.

Then, this morning both herself and Oliver had successfully managed to bust a grow op, something which was apparently a big enough deal that the thought of shoe/weapon shopping had even been mentioned. To say she was pleased with herself would be an understatement, allowing her to add yet another item to her making Gail happy list.

However, with all this happiness she's been experiencing as of late, she really should have expected the sudden turn of events.

Being paired with Andy was not something which she was particularly fond of, especially now, knowing that her and nick were probably laughing at her behind her back. However, in her good mood she'd chosen just to get on with the job. That was until Andy started rambling like a nervous teenager at her and Gail was forced to remember that regardless of how good this past months been, this was still Andy and she was still sleeping with her ex-boyfriend.

From there it all went downhill really, Andy's incessant ramblings, having to clear out the grow op and all of that ending with a trip to the hospital due the fact that she stupidly managed to scorch her wrist with that industrial drain cleaner. Oh, and not to mention Andy confessing her thing with Nick, that just really made her fucking day.

Now, well now she's left sitting on a hospital bed, blinking away the fog from her eyes, no doubt induced by that wonderful medical high she was on earlier. The nurse who's been tending to her all afternoon is there, checking her over and announcing that she's free to go however she needs someone to assist her home, all the while smiling at Gail as if this is the best news she has received all day. However the consistent pain in her wrist and the nauseating smell of burnt flesh only serves to remind her of how she got here in the first place and how she doesn't have anyone to take her home.

Once the nurse leaves, telling Gail to come and find her to sign some forms once she's got someone to take her home, Gail closes her eyes and sighs. She hasn't expected Andy to stick around and even if she has, Gail isn't entirely sure she'd be able to ride home alone in a car with her without saying something that she'd no doubt regret and blame on all the drugs inhabiting her body.

If Gail's being truly honest with herself there's only one person whom she really thinks she can handle right now and so with that in mind she reaches out to the table beside the hospital bed for her phone which she assumes Andy must have brought to her when she went to grab a few other pieces out of her locker and dials in the now familiar number.

* * *

It's a little after 8pm when her phone rings, interrupting her CSI marathon. Taking a quick glance at the caller ID and seeing the familiar flash of the name springing across the screen she smiles before answering.

"And to what do I owe this pleasure?" Holly smiles into the phone, pausing only to turn the volume of her tv down.

"I need a ride home," Gail states as blunt as ever.

"and you couldn't grab a cab because?" Holly smirks, all the while searching for her keys to the car.

"I'm at the hospital, can you just, can you just come. Please?" Gail breathes into the phone.

There's a moment of silence that passes over the room before Holly really has the time to register what Gail's just told her. This new information making her heart sink slightly to the bottom of her feet and physically restrains her body from being able to move, to breathe.

"Gail?" Holly questions, her voice thick with worry.

"I'm fine, it's fine," Gail rushes out, her brazen attitude making its appearance again. "Look, just forget I even asked."

"I'm on my way," Holly manages to respond before hanging up on the blonde and exiting her apartment.

* * *

Holly manages to make it to the hospital in record time and almost congratulates herself on her stellar performance. As she approaches the desk she spots the familiar blonde officer down the corridor. Her arms all wrapped up in gauze and she has an almost hazy look surrounding her, something which Holly can already gather is from the pain medication the blonde's very obviously been fed all day. That's not what grabs her attention though, it's the stoic pose and the anguished look on the blonde's face that keeps her rooted to the spot. It's only there for a moment before Gail's usual defence is built back up but Holly's seen it.

She's vaguely aware of the look that Gail's currently giving her co-worker, the brunette officer who's name Holly always fails to remember, and instantly feels a pang of sympathy for the woman. Just as she's sure Gail's really about to lay into the woman the blonde catches her eye and suddenly all of her focus is on Holly.

Within moment's Gail's walking down the corridor towards her and she can't help the smile that graces her face at the sight of the blonde, the fact that she's visibly ok, if you minus the gauze wrapped hand.

"Hey," Holly murmurs, placing a hand onto Gail's upper arm.

"Hey," Gail replies, her eyes focusing on her own feet instead of meeting Holly's, aware of Andy's eyes watching them interact with each other from down the corridor. "Can we get out of here."

"Sure," Holly smiles, her grip moving from Gail's arm to the small of her back, leading her out of the hospital and to her awaiting car.

* * *

Holly's instructed to wait until they see Andy leave, both sitting in her car in a comfortable silence as they watch the brunette officer climb into the squad car and drive away from the hospital, before she takes Gail back to her place. Gail claims that she's been instructed not to be left alone because of all the medication that she's had and that she doesn't trust Chris and Dov to look out for her all night but Holly knows that it's really just Gail's way of saying that something's happened which she's not quite ready to deal with on her own just yet.

This, Holly supposes, is her emergency get-out-the-tree situation, only Holly's still not too sure what the original emergency is.

The ride to her apartment is a quiet one, the only noise coming from the lull of the radio which Holly always leaves playing on low in the background. However it's not unnerving, both women now used too and somewhat comfortable in the others presence. It's not until they make it back to the apartment and they're both changed into comfier apparel, slouched on the sofa that Gail finally breaks the silence.

"Thanks," she says, turning to look at Holly for the first time since arriving at the apartment. "For this."

"Don't mention it," Holly shrugs, turning to smile at the blonde before placing a hand on the officers knee. "Is there anything I can get you, something to drink or-"

"Nick's in love with Andy," Gail interrupts her, her voice thick with something Holly can't quite place.

"Oh, Andy's the officer that was at the station, right?" Holly asks, looking at Gail's face to try and gather more of a response.

"They slept together Holly," Gail almost spits out, her good hand grasping onto the edge of the couch.

"Ok," Holly breathes out, still unsure as to where exactly this is going.

"She broke the code, friends don't sleep with each other's ex," Gail states, grabbing onto the couch even harder.

"So Nick," Holly asks, grabbing Gail's arm in an attempt to try and stop her from attacking the sofa any more than necessary. "He was you're ex?"

"We were engaged," Gail whispers, looking at Holly as if she harbours all the answers to her dilemma.

"You were engaged," Holly repeats, nodding her head as she speaks, more for her own benefit than for Gail's. "Well then, if you're asking me for advice, which I'm not the best at by the way, it doesn't sound like she was a very good friend and that you're much better off here, on my sofa, stealing my TV and having all this fun without her."

For a moment, Gail lets Holly's words sink in before she erupts into laughter, "Oh god Holly, you're worse at this comforting shit than I am." Composing herself, Gail turns back to face Holly's tv, "You're right though, she's not a very good friend."

"Of course I'm right, I'm always right," Holly smirks, finally letting go of Gail's arm and turning to face the TV herself. "Though if you really want me to accurately carry out this comforting friend session that you're talking about, I can go break out the ice cream, pick a soppy film and a box of tissues and we can do this the old school way."

"How about just grabbing me a beer instead?" Gail replies.

"You've been on a concoction of medication all day; the only drink you're getting under my watch is something non-alcoholic." Holly states, grinning at Gail.

"You sound like my mother," Gail sulks, slouching further on the couch and bringing her legs up to rest under her. "I guess I'll just have a glass of water and go to bed then."

Getting up to fetch a glass of water, Holly can't help but take one last look at the woman lazing on her couch only to find her staring right back at her.

"Holly?" Gail starts, looking intently at her.

"Gail?" Holly asks, searching the blonde's eyes for any signs of a problem occurring.

"I'm really glad you came for me tonight, I just, it's just that-" Gail shakes her head slightly, stammering over her own words. "I'm just glad that you're my friend, that's all."

Holly simply nods her head before giving her a soft smile and turning to leave the room.

* * *

**A.N; **Well that was another quick update for you all, note that its 2.30am here and I've been living on energy drinks all night in order to get this up, so apologies for any mistakes or unstructured writing!

I know that so far this has mainly focused on the episodes the show has already aired but I've tried to fill in some of the gaps as I feel like the show missed out on a lot of possibilities. I'd like to consider this my second last filler chapter, you'll all be pleased to note that the next one's the last one based on the episodes themselves before this really launches into my storyline.

Also, a **MASSIVE **thank you to everyone for their reviews and follows/favourites so far! I'm still trying to work out why so many of you actually want to follow this to read it! hahaa.

Constructive criticism or general feedback is always appreciated! (:


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